Adventures of my 'budget' Color-match grille (Lots of pics)

[ShadowRejects]

Your wheels aren't Chrome. They're polished aluminum with a clear coat sprayed over them.

-Sent from my twin turbo Desire using diesel fuel.-

You get my point.

 

[Half Assed]

My headlights are NOT painted black. I tinted them with VHT nightshade. I put a small coat on at first but then procceded to get carried away after it looked strange with such a light coat. I hate it. I did it because I thought the light would shine through and it barely does. Im going to get a set of the black light housings just like the ones Half Assed posted.

That's because its paint. lol I'd like to kick the inventor of night shade in the balls. I really wish cops would start cracking down on the people that over use it. Looks like you learned your lesson though. You'll have to pick up a set of 35 watt HIDs will you are buying head lights. They make a huge difference.

Here are my clear housings with 35w 6000k

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[Horns]

You get my point.

To me your point was that it worked on your wheels so it should have worked on the grill, but that is not true. They are two very different bonding surfaces.

When my internet gets back on my laptop I will send you a link on how to prepare plastics the proper way for paint.

-Sent from my twin turbo Desire using diesel fuel.-

 

[ShadowRejects]

That's because its paint. lol I'd like to kick the inventor of night shade in the balls. I really wish cops would start cracking down on the people that over use it. Looks like you learned your lesson though. You'll have to pick up a set of 35 watt HIDs will you are buying head lights. They make a huge difference.

Here are my clear housings with 35w 6000k

You must be registered for see images attach

Same, and I did!! I tried to remove it with paint thinner, but made it worse... So i was forced to leave it. The Stuff is only good on tail lights. Btw thats not bad!! My fog lights turn night into day in front of me. But the issue is, i can't see further than about 100 feet.

 

[ShadowRejects]

To me your point was that it worked on your wheels so it should have worked on the grill, but that is not true. They are two very different bonding surfaces.

When my internet gets back on my laptop I will send you a link on how to prepare plastics the proper way for paint.

-Sent from my twin turbo Desire using diesel fuel.-

oh.. I know that!! Plastic chrome and alloy are definitly not the same. Plastic is a hell of lot harder to bond to. Thats why you use self etching primer..

Im not trying to make this thread into a ''how to prep your plastics and alloy's '' thread. Im just trying to get my point across, which is I rushed my butt off to finish this for school the following day.
When i usually paint platic (Ex; my bowtie, antenna, trim, mirror caps, etc) I ALWAYS slightly rough up the surface with fine grit sand paper and use self etching primer.

But this time, i was out.. I used it all when I painted the white rings around my wheels.

I would've prepped the grille with fine grit sandpaper and put on a few coats of self etching primer. But I was so anxious and in such a rush to get it done, i decided to skip the whole prep phase. Not to mention at my local Lowes, Self Ecthing Primer is nearly 7$ a can! I wouldve easily needed 2 cans to prep this. But this is a ''budget'' color match. So I re-used the primer that I used on my Chrome rear bumper. Sorry to confuse you. I'm well educated when it comes to prepping stuff for paint, Especially chrome and plastic!

And even if this does chip, i'm considering painting my truck a flat - dark silver color in the future anyways. And I will be more than happy to ditch the white grille

 

[Hezsus]

I had almost the exact same experience painting my grille, My chrome was flaking so i got a new chrome one then thought that black would be cool to try on the flaking one, after 3 days (only an hour or 2 a day) I was done. and after about 6 months the paint flaked real bad. I now have a factory black GM grille and i like it much better. Just have to make an insert for it.

 

[ShadowRejects]

I had almost the exact same experience painting my grille, My chrome was flaking so i got a new chrome one then thought that black would be cool to try on the flaking one, after 3 days (only an hour or 2 a day) I was done. and after about 6 months the paint flaked real bad. I now have a factory black GM grille and i like it much better. Just have to make an insert for it.

Nothing made to last forever! epespecially paint on plastic o.o thanks for the input!

 

[thz71]

well your truck has a lot of potential i liked the chrome grille but as long as you like the PTM keep it up man

 

[Scholarly Redneck]

Might as well do it right the first time

 

[ShadowRejects]

Might as well do it right the first time

well your truck has a lot of potential i liked the chrome grille but as long as you like the PTM keep it up man

Thanks guys! And yea, it looked really nice with the chrome grille in the one rainy-picture. Scholarly Redneck, i agree completely.